distinguished record, including service in the middle east, but also with major global powers like russia and india, who are playing very interesting roles in the evolving discussions over iran. welcome. and along with time we have our own kenneth pollack, senior fellow in the center, and ken is finishing a book right now on the challenge of iran, which you will be able to look for in book stores later this year. we're happy to have ken with us to provide comments on this topic as well. what we will do is we will have a bit of a conversation up here, and then we will open it up for questions from the floor. why don't we jump right in with some of these recent developments. there is now a date set for the next round of international negotiations to be held in a distinguished diplomatic capital of almaty. one wonders if that quieter location will allow distance from the glare of the cameras. what do you expect from these long-awaited talks? >> thank you very much. it is a pleasure to be here. i cannot think of a more bountiful crop to bring in out of the rain, for what has been the longest-